STORY EXCERPT

“Now, which one of those two tempting morsels has caught your eye, Guardian? The little blonde female is quite charming, but the burly, bearded one has his own attraction, wouldn’t you say?”

The slow, husky drawl was not familiar to Caid. He spun around and met the dark-blue-eyed gaze of Sir Edrick Valemont, younger son of the Count d’Estro. Caid quirked an eyebrow at the pale-skinned aristocrat.

“Slumming, my lord? I wouldn’t have expected to see the son of one of our most wealthy and noblest families doing anything so pedestrian as strolling through the marketplace. Surely you have servants to do that for you.”

Caid didn’t suffer fools gladly, and the worthless hangers-on at King Kelan’s court were some of the biggest fools he’d ever seen. Sir Edrick was one of the worst, in his opinion. The man seemed to have made a profession out of being frivolous and doing nothing more strenuous than lifting a wineglass or pursuing a potential lover.

The other man’s mouth curved upward in a lazy smile that set Caid’s teeth on edge. “Well, of course, I have any number of servants at my disposal, but I do so love to rub elbows with the peasantry every now and again. It’s one of my favorite things to do. Caid, isn’t it? I thought I recognized you from the king’s court. He’s very proud of his Guardians.”

Caid bowed reluctantly, constrained by the good manners the Gray had drilled into him. “Caid Sharsen, my lord.”

“We’ve never been officially introduced. I’m Sir Edrick Valemont. I’ve seen you out and about before, Guardian. I must confess, I asked someone who you were.”

“I can’t imagine why you would care, Sir Edrick. It’s not like we have anything in common.” Caid sent the man a stern glance.

The other man’s full lips pursed. “Oh, you might be surprised. So, which one was it?” He glanced back toward the direction in which the couple was rapidly disappearing. “Which one stirred your fires, Caid? The woman? Or the man? Or perhaps both?”

Caid turned his back to the vanishing couple and focused his attention on Edrick. “Neither, as a matter of fact. I just thought I recognized the man for a moment, that’s all. I’m not interested in having my fires stirred, as you so delicately put it. I’m simply picking up some items that I need.”

Caid felt Edrick’s eyes sweep down his body before he looked back up, a look of interested speculation on his face. “Now, that is a shame. Tell you what, let me buy you a drink and perhaps we can talk about it.”

“About what?”

Edrick grinned. “Fires, and how to stir them, of course.”

Caid paused for a moment. The sexual curiosity in Edrick’s eyes was unmistakable, and Caid felt a brief shiver of temptation. Most men were put off by the scar that split his brow above his right eye and curved a slice down onto his cheek, and he generally limited himself to paid companions when he found the need for a warm body. There were a few, however, who found the scar and the man who bore it dangerously attractive. Apparently Edrick was one.

“I’ll have to pass, my lord. Though I appreciate the offer.”

“Oh, come on, Caid. Surely you have time for one cup of warm ale. The day is dreadfully chilly, after all. What harm could it do?” The man sent Caid a flirtatious sidelong glance.

Most of the Gray were somewhat familiar with Edrick. He had quite a reputation around the palace as a man who spent most of his time in pursuit of pleasure. Sexual pleasure. Male or female, he didn’t seem to be too particular, and Caid knew that many of his fellow Guardians had spent their time in Edrick’s bed. He’d heard no complaints.

Sir Edrick was the youngest son of a wealthy man and had obviously been pampered and spoiled his whole life. For someone like Caid, who’d had to work hard and long for everything he had, Edrick seemed like a boy who’d never had to grow up rather than a man, despite his age.

“I don’t really like to be one of a crowd, Sir Edrick,” he muttered gruffly, and was surprised to see a shadow of hurt flicker in the other man’s eyes before it was quickly concealed.

Edrick laughed, though Caid thought it rang slightly hollow. “Somebody’s been listening to the palace gossips. Don’t you know that those old hags lie outrageously just to make their little, boring lives seem more enjoyable. I can assure you, stories of my conquests have been completely exaggerated.” Edrick winked. “Come, one drink won’t kill you. We can talk about anything you like.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Caid’s naked torso gleamed in the dim light, strong and hard. Edrick’s gaze traveled lower, taking in the twin columns of his legs and the large and blatant erection that stood practically parallel to Caid’s body. It was a bold statement of Caid’s arousal, and it sent another quiver of lust through Edrick.

As he’d suspected, Caid was a picture of masculine beauty. The scar bisecting the right side of the face only added to that stark beauty, in Edrick’s opinion, rather than detracting from it. It gave the man a dangerous, wicked edge that Edrick found more than appealing.

Edrick saw more scars on Caid’s chest and arms, and one particularly wicked mark on his upper thigh. When he met Caid’s gaze, he saw Caid watching him with a hungry but guarded expression on his face. Edrick rose up on one elbow and reached out a hand to trail it caressingly over that rough-looking mark. He felt Caid’s body jerk in reaction to his touch, his cock bobbing slightly at the movement. Edrick raised himself even more and, smiling briefly up at his lover, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against the scar on his thigh. He heard Caid groan. Then he was covering Edrick with his body, pressing him heatedly down into the bed, and his mouth took Edrick’s in a hard possessive kiss that left no doubt of Caid’s intentions.

Their mouths parted and met again and again, each kiss sparking a burning need in Edrick. When Caid released his mouth, Edrick shoved against his chest. “Turn over.” Caid allowed himself to be pushed down onto his back, and Edrick rose up over him. Leaning down, he touched his lips to the scar on Caid’s face, letting his lips softly trace the entire length of the mark. He felt Caid’s stillness beneath him and could sense the man’s shocked reaction in the tension that filled his body. Edrick’s mouth lingered on the scar while his hands roamed over Caid’s chest and shoulders, rubbing and stroking with gentle eagerness. When he felt Caid beginning to relax beneath him, he rose slightly and looked down into the other man’s heavy-lidded eyes. Then he began spreading hot, biting kisses down Caid’s torso, making sure to press his lips against each and every mark, until he reached the man’s thick rod, swollen with arousal and need.

He wrapped his hand around the hard stalk and heard Caid’s guttural, “Farking hells, yes,” groaned somewhere above him. Then he lowered his mouth and engulfed the head of Caid’s cock, savoring the taste and heat of his lover’s passion.

He took his time with Caid’s erection. After sucking and licking the head for several minutes, he released it and kissed his way down to the base, pausing to allow his tongue to lick over the tracery of veins that pulsed gently against his lips. Then he returned to the head, his tongue swirling around the tip, dipping into the slit and tasting the pre-cum that he found there.

He continued to kiss and lick every inch of the hard rod until he felt Caid’s hand on the back of his head. “Damn you to seven hells, Edrick. Suck the damn thing before I go insane.”

Hiding his grin, Edrick proceeded to do as Caid had demanded, his mouth closing over the other man’s cock with smooth expertise. The hand on the back of Edrick’s head clenched, catching his hair in a tight grip and tugging almost painfully as Edrick took more and more of Caid’s cock into his mouth. When he felt the tip touch the back of his throat, he paused and took a deep breath, consciously relaxing the muscles. Then he moved again until his face was buried in the crisp, dark nest of curls and his throat was filled with his lover’s hardness. He sucked as best he could. Caid was not a small man, and Edrick was pleased that he’d been able to take all of him. He heard Caid’s choked groan of approval as Edrick backed off, almost completely releasing Caid’s cock, before taking it deep once again.

“Farking son of a Nilerian ass, that feels incredible, Edrick.”

Edrick allowed himself a small hum of pleasure and felt Caid’s jerk in reaction of the pleasurable sensation. Then Edrick pulled back and began a shallow but steady motion up and down on Caid’s cock. For a while nothing but the sounds of sucking and the harsh gasping breaths of Caid’s pleasure pierced the silence of the room. Then Caid’s hand tightened once more on his head, and he pulled Edrick’s mouth free with a soft pop.

“For the Goddess’s sake, stop. I don’t want to release in your mouth. I need to fuck you, Edrick.”

Edrick nodded, eager to please his lover and almost desperate to feel Caid’s body inside his own. He rolled over on his back, and Caid sat up, his eyes scanning the room.

“Where’s your oil, Edrick?” Caid’s voice was tight with need.

Edrick pointed to the elegant table sitting beside the bed and watched as Caid’s hand closed over the bottle. Caid sat up, looking down at him with a wicked grin on his face. “Roll over, and get on your knees, head down on the bed.”

With a grin of his own, Edrick did as Caid directed. He felt Caid’s body move into position behind him, then the cool feel of the oil as it was dripped onto his bottom. Caid’s hands massaged the oil across his rear and into the tight pucker of his anal passage. Edrick moaned softly at the feel of those large fingers working their way into him, pressing deep and coating him with the slippery oil. Edrick’s cock began to swell again at the sensation of Caid’s finger as it stroked across his prostate gland.

He began to lift his head from the bed, but immediately Caid’s other hand was on his neck, pressing him down again. “No. Don’t move. I want you like this. Bent over and ready to take me. I’m going to fuck you so hard and so deep you’ll feel like I own you. And I will.”